Sunday, November 11, 2012

ᎣᏏᏲ, ᏂᎦᏓ! I’m going to Paris. I plan on seeing lots of stuff.: The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Jim Morrison’s grave, taking a train to London - you know, that kind of stuff. And attend an art show, too. Taken from the press release from Russ Tall Chief...

Fourteen American Indian and First Nations artists are cordially invited to exhibit in the 2012 Art en Capital~Salon du Dessin et de la Peinture à l’Eau, which will be celebrated November 27 ~ December 2, 2012, at the spectacular Grand Palais in Paris, France.

The Délégation Amérindienne represents the second delegation of Native artists ever to exhibit during this invitation-only event, which is one of the most prestigious art shows in the world. American Indian and First Nations artists invited to exhibit in the Salon du Dessin et de la Peinture à l’Eau will share their works with more than 40,000 visitors and fellow artists during the annual weeklong celebration in Paris.

For more than half a century, art lovers, collectors, gallery owners, and art connoisseurs from around the world have converged each year under the majestic glass ceiling of the immense Grand Palais to view masterworks by more than 2,000 artists.

Art on display and for sale in each of the five distinct salons is created by the artists specifically for the event. The Salon des Artistes Français, the Salon des Artistes Indépendants, Comparaisons, the Salon du Dessin et de la Peinture à l'eau, and the Société Nationale des Beaux-arts, offer a vastly insightful artistic dialogue among the vanguard of contemporary artistic visual voices.

The Délégation Amérindienne represents the North American continent once again this year in the Salon du Dessin et de la Peinture à l'eau, the event’s salon devoted exclusively to works in water- based paint on paper.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

I had fully intended to write a blog about my very first
trip abroad, which was to Brisbane, Australia for the 2012 MyLanguage
Conference in August.Actually, I
did write it (a draft is saved on my computer at home), but my grand plan was
to have the blog interspersed with all the fascinating photos I took while in
the great Down Under.I took
hundreds of photos and I soon lost myself in just sifting through all the
magnificent pixels.Let it be
known, I took far too many pictures of koala bears.

Fast forward a month later, and I’m writing this entry aboard
an A330 aircraft, operated by Delta Airlines en route to Rome Fiumicino.It’s rather fun writing my
thoughts down knowing full well that thousands of feet below lies the Atlantic
Ocean.I immediately imagine a
fifteenth century map illuminated with sea-monsters.I still have yet to post my Australian blog. I swear, I really intend to post
it.I had also planned on writing
about the trip to the Santa Fe Indian Art Market I took the week after I returned to
the states, but unlike the Australian blog, I never did actually write
anything of my Santa Fe adventure.(It’s all
just random sentences floating in me noggin’.) I’m not exactly sure if I ever will
write it even though it was an astounding trip.I learned many lessons – professional,
personal, and just all around practical.Most importantly, for me, I came back a more confident artist, but that’s
a discussion for another day.

So…the question on your mind may be, “Why the heck are you
going to Italy, man?”

To which I would retort, “Good question!”

2012 has been an extraordinary year for me.It’s been as dramatic as I’ve
experienced in my short thirty-three years on Earth.It’s been filled with spiritual
decline and reclamation.And
there’s even been a few art shows scattered here and there despite it all, or maybe, more than likely, because of it.I’m still in awe at what’s happened to
me this year.It would be no
exaggeration to say that no other year of my life has caused so much upheaval
in my perceptions than that of 2012.

I know, I haven’t answered your question about why I’m going
to Italy.I’m attending the Fetzer
Institute’s Global Gathering: The Pilgrimage of Love and Forgiveness.I had the honor of being selected to
participate by the Institute’s Advisory Council.I will be eternally grateful for Dr. Loriene Roy, a member
of the Council, as she is the one who nominated me as a participant for the
event.I don’t know if she knew it
or not, but traveling to Italy was one of my lifelong dreams.I vividly recall looking through second hand art books my grandmother would procure from thrift stores and the
mission.I remember the musty old smell of the paper.Some of the older books’ pictures were
actually small prints glued to the pages.Italy was the place where some of the best art in world lived for this kid.In my child’s brain, I wanted to
see the art and eat a pizza.Not
much has changed since then.Dreams are about to be fulfilled.

As per the Gathering,I don’t claim to be a wise man, a
philosopher, or even a person that has anything “figured out.”I am still on the journey of searching,
but as with many things in my life, I don’t think of the opportunity to
participate in this event is by chance.As I move further away from the decade of my twenties,
years filled with overconfidence and overconfusion (is that even a word?), I am
realizing just how much I really know of the world (a lot less than I thought),
and I am just now arriving at the phase where I am beginning to enjoy the existential
journey.Questioning and searching
and learning are no longer filled with such distress now.I enjoy the wrinkling of my brain and the expanding of my
heart.

So, let’s wrap up: I suppose I should consider this a Pre-Blog.I’m not actually in Italy yet.I haven’t actually posted my Australian
trip blog.By the time you read
this, I will have probably just finished slogging through customs and will just
have gathered my luggage.But this
entry will be posted from Italy.But it was all written in the spirit of “intentions.”

Monday, March 5, 2012

A friend relayed a story about a relative of mine. To protect the innocent (Ꭽ Ꭽ!), no names will be used, but the basic gist is that an old relative of mine had a propensity for wearing head scarves. Oh, and shapeshifting into birds.

The title "ᏥᏴᏍᎦᎸᏍᎦ. ᎦᏥᏍᎪᎥᏍᎦ." - translated as "I’m hiding her. I’m lying." - is my take on the story. A portrait of a long passed relative. In one sense, the ethereal form of the bird (ᏥᏍᏆ) is hiding the true form of the individual. In another, I’ve always wondered if being able to shapeshift is a form of telling a lie. Or maybe just a story.

2012. 24" x 24". Acrylic on wood panel. Painted using brushes, sponges, and just fingers. Even paper towels were scraped across the surface at one point...because that’s how I roll.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

So...more guitar painting. Continuing from the last installment, I did more sanding and finished applying primer. I sanded down the primed surface to a smooth finish to prep for applying paint.

This is the first round of paint. I let it sit for a bit before applying the second coat.

I applied a second coat of red. If you’re asking why I didn’t sand down the brush strokes in this step...

...it’s because I’m adding a texture to the red underpainting with a sponge. This will provide more visual interest for the background. I’m going to let this settle overnight. The next installment is where the real fun begins: painting the ᎤᎧᏖᎾ on it. The dreaded Cherokee serpent is about to rock!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

I did not know Anna Mitchell very well, but she is one of the few people whose astounding reputation so deservedly preceded her. I was introduced to her at the Cherokee Heritage Center a few years ago. I don’t remember exactly which occasion it was, as the Heritage Center is always hosting events at which artists gather. It was a very brief encounter, maybe a couple of minutes -- if that. I had just really started my serious entrée into the Cherokee art world. She encouraged me to continue, and to my surprise, she even talked about a piece of mine she had seen at a show that she said she liked. It was a great honor she even noticed.

With her passing, we lost one of the giants of Cherokee art today. Her accomplishments in establishing the southeastern style in the modern era will forever be appreciated by countless people. I know this artist would not be able to do what I’m doing without the trail she blazed. May her memory live on always.